Late at night.
In a wasteland on the scar of the world.
A stove, where it shouldn't be, appeared on the wasteland. A blazing flame dispelled the chill with light and heat.
Next to the stove, a campsite constructed of steel, wood, and cotton cloth was visible.
Even the signs of life within the campsite could be seen, clearly indicating that it had been there for quite some time.
Next to the stove, Sofia sat on a small bench, before her a long easel. A thick sheet of paper, resembling parchment, rested on the easel.
A rough outline had already formed on the easel, suggesting that the map they were about to draw was the exact area they had been exploring for the past two weeks.
"Hmm~ Hmm..."
A humming voice could be heard nearby, and the composer was clearly in a good mood.
Ululius paced barefoot by the stove.
"Could you wear some shoes?" Jason, staring blankly at the stove, asked Ululius as she paced back and forth.
Ululius was holding a crystal-clear sapphire between her fingers, admiring it in the firelight.
"Why? Isn't it fine like this? It's not like I'm actually walking barefoot on the ground."
She waved her feet toward the street.
There was a sort of transparent, crystal-like sheen, a warning that her soles weren't truly barefoot on this desolate ground.
"I mean, don't go barefoot."
"Why?"
"Because it looks weird. It makes me think you're hurt and that you're not clean."
"Okay, okay, stop nagging."
Urulius smiled and settled into Jason's arms. Then, she shook her feet twice, and a pair of small shoes slipped onto them.
Even then, she couldn't help but admire the sapphire in her hand.
It was the trophy she'd obtained from slaying a demon earlier that day, and it just happened to be her favorite gem.
This made her happier than any other, more valuable trophy.
She'd been happy for a long time.
Their exchange made Juanlu, standing next to them, roll his eyes.
Jason, who had once been so disdainful of stable relationships, was also caught off guard.
And nearby, there was a scene that was even more compelling.
Mathilda held up her water bottle, seawater gushing out of it and showering her. Two more streams of water emanated from it, landing on Porro and julia. The three of them stood in a row, enjoying the shower.
Being in a place with no seawater, only earth, made them feel a little uncomfortable.
They hadn't touched seawater for nearly a month, and a daily shower was a must.
It moisturized their skin and soothed their spirits.
Simon, who had just finished assembling a bunch of machinery, stood up and asked, "How long will it take for Alka to join us?"
"He said soon. Probably tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the latest... maybe," Lucilia replied uncertainly.
"Ah," Juanlu sighed suddenly.
Then he threw the object in his hand into the air and kicked it far away, falling into the darkness and disappearing.
"What's wrong?" Porro, who had just finished bathing, came over and asked curiously.
"These damn abyssal auras! All the beasts and even some plants we've killed recently are inedible."
Juanlu said this with great anger, clenching his fist fiercely. "Do you understand? Everything is inedible. This damn aura, this damn abyss."
Juanlu was so angry that he scratched his hair.
Seeing Juanlu so furious, the people around him couldn't understand and could only shrug helplessly.
"But the good thing is that some of their mutant organs are quite useful," Mathilda said as he walked over.
Simon, not far away, nodded in agreement. These various plants and animals infected by the abyss, even some minerals and wood deeply imbued with its aura, possessed strange properties that intrigued him.
However, the precise nature of these properties could only be determined through further research.
"La~la~la~la~la~la..."
Julia sat on a distant rock, softly playing and singing.
The gentle music, mingling with the stillness of the night, was so tranquil and moving.
Amidst the music, Juanlu brought out some ingredients and began to prepare them.
He set the grill on the stove.
Several puppet girls who enjoyed cooking quickly rushed over to help.
Hearing the music, Ululius couldn't help herself. She stood up, and the moment her feet touched the ground, her shoes vanished, leaving her barefoot once again.
Watching this scene, Jason could only shake his head helplessly.
Several shimmering crystals floated under her control, illuminating the surroundings.
As the music played, she began to dance in place.
The brilliant light and crystals became special effects for her dancing.
Jason sat there and watched.
Ululius danced to him, reaching out to take him by the hand.
"Come along."
"I don't know how!" Jason said, frantically following the dance.
"It's okay, just follow my feeling."
Their deep connection made their rapport profound. Led by Ululius, Jason quickly entered the flow.
Some of the puppet girls also ran over and began dancing together in various places.
Even several puppet girls came to Julia's side and began to sing along with the music.
Martissa smiled and stood up, swirling her snake tail and holding onto Pororo with her four arms.
"Do you mind?"
"I don't know how to do that," Pororo said.
Martissa smiled unconcerned and pulled him up, her size causing Pororo's hands to droop slightly.
"I'll teach you, follow along."
With that, Martissa used her four arms and the end of her snake tail to guide Pororo into a dance.
Sofia, who had been painting, paused with her brush and looked at the crowd.
Lusilia also sat on her shoulders.
"Ah... great."
Suddenly, Lusilia's body became ethereal, like a spirit, and then increased in size to that of a normal person.
She transformed into a ghostly form.
Then Lusilia adjusted her hair, instantly shortening it to a short bob, and her clothing changed to a more masculine style.
She struck an elegant pose and took Sofia's hand with her spirit hand.
"Beautiful lady, would you do me the honor?"
"Of course." Sofia smiled, standing up and placing his paintbrush on the easel.
As she danced, Lusilia trailed a cloud of light and mist behind her.
Though everyone seemed relaxed, not all the puppet girls were focused on the fun. Many were scattered around the camp, maintaining their due vigilance.
A figure approached from outside the camp, its body unusually ethereal, appearing and disappearing.
One of the puppet girls spotted him.
However, the figure made a hushing gesture, and the girl nodded.
Relying on concealment and darkness, the male figure quietly slipped into the camp.
Lucelia and Sofia danced together, reaching the edge of darkness.
Suddenly, a head poked out from the darkness.
"Would you like me to join you, two beautiful ladies?"
Alka's appearance startled the two.
He had slipped in from the intervening layer of the dream, but the two immediately reacted.
They exchanged a glance and snorted, "I'm not going with you."
With that, they pulled each other away from Alka.
Alka gave a helpless smile, undeterred. He made his way to the stove and sat down next to Juanlu.
"What's wrong? Did you eat turtle?" Juanlu asked with a smile, turning the barbecue in his hand and looking at Alka beside him. He had just witnessed the whole thing.
"Haha." Alka laughed dryly, propping his chin up as he admired his companions' dancing.
Simon also came over and sat beside him.
"You're not in great shape right now," he said, looking at Alka.
Although Alka didn't seem to be in any trouble at the moment, Simon noticed something in the details.
After saying this, Alka smiled nonchalantly, "A little mishap on the road, a vengeance from the Devouring Mouth. I'll get used to it."
After learning some information at the Demon Hunting Fortress, he naturally returned to reunite with his companions.
This time, he didn't travel with the caravan, instead relying on a mirror to levitate back quickly.
However, he also encountered unexpected obstacles along the way: various demonic groups trying to kill Alka.
Alka remained vigilant on the way back; it was clear that these were just appetizers brought by the Devouring Mouth.
However, as long as the Devouring Mouth couldn't take action personally, and this place couldn't act as it pleased like a demon's territory, Alka could still handle it; after all, his methods were quite extensive.
...
The next day, the curtain of the sky parted, and the bright sun and blue sky and white clouds suddenly appeared above everyone's heads.
Alka rubbed his eyes and stretched vigorously in the sun.
After such a long journey, he had a good rest in the camp last night.
In the center of the camp, there was a large round umbrella. Inside, there was a stove and a large table.
He walked over and sat down at the table.
On the table was a brand new map, and it depicted the area they were currently in, the same place Alka had asked Sofia to draw.
Some of the people were still asleep. Some of those who were awake were washing up, while others were already eating breakfast.
Alka blinked as he sat at the table, carefully examining the map before him.
On the map, in Alka's vision, dots of light appeared one after another.
Ignoring the numerous white dots, Alka looked towards the other dots that required special attention.
Six golden lights flashed, along with two orange ones, and the reason Alka had chosen this area.
A red beam shot up into the sky.
This red beam wasn't blood-red, but rather, as dazzling as a red gem, drawing the eye.
Without hesitation, he reached out and touched the red beam.
[Lighthouse]
[Difficulty: Transporter (Level 7)]
[Notability: 543,000]
[Treasure Information: The Saralan Empire's lighthouse, standing tall in the capital, brings distant hope to the empire. Looking at the information on this red dot, it certainly wasn't completely unknown. After all, Alka and his companions had considerable knowledge of the Saralan Empire.
Alka also knew about this lighthouse.
But he had never imagined it would be a crown-level treasure.
Because it was once merely a landmark of this country, and because of its fame, Alka only knew a few things about it.
But even for such a landmark, Alka only briefly mentioned it, so he only knew about it.
But his understanding of it was clearly not that detailed.
Also, the difficulty level was clearly marked: reaching the seventh stage was required, and that was only the difficulty level of the treasure. Obtaining this red treasure was clearly not that easy.
Alka simply feasted his eyes, forming a general idea in his mind.
His attention was more focused on the golden and orange treasures.
Although they no longer needed Holy Grail-level treasures, who could have too many treasures? Treasures themselves were an extremely precious resource.
And the orange treasure was clearly their most important need.
So, Alka turned his attention to the two orange lights.
He clicked on one of them.
[Pale Moon]
[Difficulty: Moon Power]
[Popularity: 255]
[Treasure Information: The Moon Worship Cult's Treasure]
This information was a bit scant, practically nonexistent.
This expanded information was entirely due to Alka's prior knowledge of the so-called Moon Worship Cult.
This was based on information he'd previously gathered about various cults, but the problem was that he'd only ever seen the name.
He only knew that the cult was active 300 years ago, and that its area of activity was quite remote.
And the difficulty of this treasure is daunting just by looking at it.
What is a Moon Power?
I have no idea.
Shifting his focus away from this treasure for the moment, Alka looked at another orange light.
[Cursed Sword]
[Difficulty: Wish Fulfillment]
[Popularity: 67,000]
[Treasure Information: The 16th Commander-in-Chief of the Saralan Empire, a young general, this is the very treasure he wields.
Because of this treasure, he is also known as the Cursed Blade General.]
Finally, he had discovered a piece of information that could lead to further developments.
Alka knew this person; he was a well-known historical figure within the Saralan Empire.
Alka knew this because this commander was an ancestor of Greyfar.
This family was once very famous in the Saralan Empire. To be honest, Alka had previously thought that the bizarre, door-sized giant sword wielded by Greyforge was the Curse Sword.
But I didn't expect the Curse Sword to be here.
So, the question is, if this is the Curse Sword, what is that object Greyforge is holding?
However, if one wants to obtain this treasure, all kinds of information must be obtained from Greyforge. At least there is a channel, not nothing.
Simply moving this treasure up a notch. Of course, this doesn't mean that the other two treasures are unimportant.
The point is to see if we can obtain more information later, expanding upon the treasures.
Now, it's time to examine the remaining six Holy Grail-level treasures.
Alka carefully examined each one.
At this stage, various treasures with no information on them have already appeared.
After all, in such a vast empire, the owner of a Holy Grail-level treasure must remain a mystery. And even that information might not survive.
Also, Alka and his companions didn't know much, considering the history of an empire.
Not to mention the exorbitant span of thousands of years that this empire had existed for.
Among them, Alka selected three treasures that he thought might be obtainable at this stage.
One of them might be the easiest to obtain, so the search could basically be put on the agenda.
[Drinking Cup]
[Difficulty: Tomb Raider]
[Notability: 665,000]
[Treasure Information: The wine cup used by the founding emperor of the Saralan Empire, the Savior.
For a person of such high status, and also a lover of fine wine, this was the imperial king's favorite item. As the treasure information states, this treasure's fame stems from its long history.